By Simone Somekh Lorenzo Hassan, 32, has always been fascinated by foreign cultures, in particular Asian and Oriental heritages. “It all started when I got interested in Japanese anime and manga,” he said. “Then I got into martial arts, and later I developed an interest in Hong Kong’s thriving movie industry.” Lorenzo had visited Japan …
By Simone Somekh and Shirly Piperno The Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur was fast approaching, yet Raffaella Toscano, 26, had just arrived in Brazil for a four-month student partnership with the University of Sao Paulo. From the moment she landed in this spectacular South American country, Raffaella had been incredibly busy searching for a suitable …
By Simone Somekh* In the past decade, the trend has arisen for adolescent Italian high-school students to engage in study-abroad programs for a semester, or — in order to fully submerge themselves in the foreign country of their choice — for a full academic year. Despite the Italian schooling system being drastically different compared to …
By Simone Somekh* Just minutes before Emanuele and I spoke, three terrorists stormed the Charlie Hebdo headquarters in downtown Paris and fatally shot 12 people. “Europe is asleep” commented Emanuele. “And once it will finally wake up, it will realize the enormity of this phenomenon.” Emanuele Boccia, 22 years old, was born and raised in …
By Simone Somekh* It’s 8:29, and Federica Manasse is in a hurry. “Hold on, hold on one second,” she says on the phone, running out of breath. “I need to get on the bus.” As soon as she pays her ride and finds the last free seat on the bus, she wears her earphones again …
By Simone Somekh* Since May, Manuel Moscati updates his Facebook page in two different languages ― Italian and Albanian. “I’m following an online course to learn Albanian,” he said. Manuel Moscati, 29, from Rome, felt the urge to learn Albanian as soon as he was announced to be one of the contestants on the local …
By Shirly Piperno* Today Giulia’s favorite dessert is a pear almond crumble with a heart of blackberries. “Actually…” she quickly adds, “If you asked a mother who is her favorite child, how could she answer?” That’s how Giulia Bassan, 29, feels about the pastries she bakes at the legendary Ottolenghi restaurant on Motcomb Street, London, …
By Simone Somekh* Later today Diana will be joining 200 experts in medieval philosophy for an international convention at the University of Cologne. Before heading to the lectures, Diana Di Segni, 30, discusses her new life in Germany, and although it has been very tough to find a time for the interview due to her …
By Simone Somekh* It is no secret – Italians are passionate people. Those from the ‘Boot’ are well known for their enthusiasm, and so is David Bedussa, 20, a Roman born Jew who travelled all the way to Tel Aviv, Israel, in order to fulfill his two main dreams: studying Torah and working in the …
By Shirly Piperno* Think far. Now think further, and you will find yourself in Australia. Marta Olifson, 23, decided to move to Sydney for her 5 months exchange, a place far from her lifestyle and family in Milan, where she is studying law at Bocconi University. “I thought I had one chance, I might as …
By Simone Somekh* It’s another busy morning in New York City and among the millions of workaholics, Emanuele makes his way to his office in the heart of the city that never sleeps. Each morning he turns on his computer, to be awaken by an aerial landscape of Turin on the desktop, along with two …
By Simone Somekh* Every month, Pagine Ebraiche International brings to you an exciting story from one of the many Jewish Italians abroad, young hopefuls that left their native country for either professional or academic purposes. These interesting profiles might have left Italy to broaden their horizons, nevertheless they still feel very Italian, and try to …